Verses Upon the Burning of Our House: A Response Essay

The phone that had kept your soul in touch, the bed that had forever got your back, the guitar which had always given you peace of mind, the drum set that never left, when your emotions had to cry out loud, and the notebook that had listened no matter what, in highs and lows, to all your victories, dramas, and rants.

All of us have treasures embedded in our hearts, and at times so deeply that simply imagining the loss of a single one would make us feel so empty- so incomplete.

So what more seeing all these possessions closest to your heart burn down one by one? Definitely, a stab in the heart; but is losing your treasures at some point also a blessing, or is it nothing more than just a dreadful curse?

For years, I have believed it is, and will eternally be, the latter. However, Verses Upon the Burning of Our House- July 10^th, 1666 by Anne Bradstreet turned my perspective about losing my most cherished possessions, around.

First of all, it made me realize that we are all merely tenants of this residence called Earth; one day, we would all grow weak, turn to ashes, and eventually be part of the soil. Therefore, we have no right to complain or to question Him for whatever it is that we lose; instead we should be thankful as He has given us a chance to get a taste to love and to be loved by these treasures. “I blest His Name that gave and took;” Job 1:21, (Line 14)

Next, along the journey, God may throw spikes, banana peels, and obstacles on our way, sometimes He would compel us to face our inmost fears, sometimes He would get the things or people dearest to us, but the story conveys the message that He will never give us challenges we could not face; His love is perpetual and it will never abscond; that He might have left us with nothing, but He left us with enough. “He might of All justly bereft, But yet sufficient for us left.” (Lines 19- 20)

Lastly but most importantly, we should learn to lift up all our sorrows and joys, doubts and certainties, and hates and loves to Him. After all, what is there to worry about, when we know that the Man upstairs is surely watching over us? That amidst all that we endure here on this dimension, our Almighty Father will, at the right time, welcome us with open arms in Heaven- our ultimate abode where we will finally receive the serenity and completeness we have unceasingly yearned on Earth. “Ther’s wealth enough, I need no more; Farewell my pelf, farewell my Store. The world no longer let me Love, My hope and Treasure lyes Above.” (Lines 51- 54)

As painful and ironic as it may seem, losing your treasures is actually more than just a dreadful curse, it is a blessing- a gift from God. Because once you think about it, there is indeed no loss in saying adieu, for these treasures are merely physical, worldly representatives of God. After all, who was it really who had kept your soul in touch; forever got your back; had always given you peace of mind; never left, when your emotions had to cry out loud; and listened no matter what, in highs and lows, to all your victories, dramas, and rants? Ask yourself; was it truly your cherished possessions or the Big Man up above?

A Letter to Future Old Self

 

*EHH believe me, ME, you look awesome and fab as you are!*

Hey max! First of all, hallelujah to the Lord! Wooh see, amidst all the cake and sugar you put inside your body every single day, here you are still alive and kicking! I don’t know if you are sitting on your rocking chair right now or lying down listening to music or writing (ranting) so intensely on your journal to drain all the emotion out of you or OooOoOO in the field running (?) lol idek but whatever it is you are into now, I’m sure you’re very very happy- overflowing with love and jooooy! I also don’t know if all our dreams came true, if all those uber- duper sweet and cheesy daydreams that kept us smiling till we finally closed our eyes every night finally turned to reality, but you know even if they didn’t, God surely had something much much better ‘reserved’ only  for us bahaha so exciting! Hmm pfshh am I still me, or did I lower my standards? OH NO MAX NO but well, even if I change that “thing” that only a few know defines us the most, I know you had deeper than the Marianas Trench reasons for that, so I understand (really now? Jkjk yes I do). Well, I also want to tell you how I’m so proud of you, you surely slept a hundred times later than 3 am just to finish something of the same sort of that freaking WORKED video that really killed my (our) soul. I’m sure no step up this staircase of life was a piece of cake, but you SURVIVED, huh TOLD YA THERES ALWAYS A RAINBOW AFTER THE RAIN. Please forgive me if ever by this time, this body is super worn out because I (we) obv eat lots and hate exercise, but just to say it out loud again YOU HAD FUN AND ITS WORTH IT.  I am also saying sorry in advance for the stupid mistakes I had made or (will make?) anyways, I’m sure you can do it, Max, I know you and I know how strong your heart is, please keep that courage and love inside you forever ablaze and alive! Gaah I’m so excited to meet you, not too soon please but ahaha there will always be a right time for all things. (Patience is key lol)

PS: This letter is super random, so all over the place and if ever we pursued our ‘sidedream’ of being a writer, then oops this is probably more disappointing than ever, and I would call it splattered paint, but splattered paint is still beautiful anyhow so WOW.

PPS: I HOPE U ARE HAVING YR HAPPILY EVER AFTER MEIN WELL BUT IF YOU ARENT DON’T WORRY JUST WAIT FOR ME AND ILL BE THERE TO SAVE YOU FROM THE DRAGON’S KEEP, ofcourse, hopefully, our knight in shining armor would do the saving for us, but then again, worse comes to worst? I’ll be there J

PPPS: We both know we’re not the sweetest, but here’s a *super tight and warm hug* from my present to my…whoever I may become! HAHA I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH, whatever happens, you’ll always be special, Max, and no soul on any universe is and would be right and deserving to make you forget that. 

Lady or the Tiger: A Response Essay

You have been warned. This is no fairy- tale; no princess in a dragon’s keep saved by her prince in shining armor. None of that sugar- coated humdrum, “…And they lived happily ever after.” And definitely, “The end,” is just the END; the sooner you accept it, the easier it gets. Tell you what, it is bloodshed out there, you fight, or you shall perish and die.

            

We all grew up cradled to sleep with the enchanting worlds of Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Little Mermaid, and all those countless bedazzled jewels in one’s very own Bookshelf of ‘fantasy.’ But reality is, sometimes, you just have to wake up and accept that not all stories end up with sugar, spice and everything nice.

For that is just life my friend, and the Lady or the Tiger by Frank Richard Stockton has proven that fact powerfully and vividly enough. With the story’s spirited and indomitable characters: the King, the Young man, and the Princess, Stockton only reiterates to us that life won’t always be fair, sometimes you just have to keep the faith and trust others, and that some moments truly require individualism, sacrifice and letting go.

King: Life won’t always be fair, and you simply got to accept it. Matters in life won’t at all times be topped with glitter and gold no matter how much you try to be a good girl or boy, or wish upon the shooting star. People won’t always magic it up, and sometimes they’ll be too hard on you and your world will just seem to be crushing down, brick by brick. Sometimes, the people closest to your heart are even the ones who will hurt you the most. But people are people, and the King, semi- barbaric as he is, disregarded the fact that he was hurting his one and only daughter, by putting that young man she loved so dearly, in a situation wherein fate was the only one left to choose  what he was going to lose- either his life or his love.

Young man: You probably are a very private person, but once you get into trouble, you would accept any stranger’s help. So what more welcoming the help of one you knew with all your heart, with all your soul? To ‘trust’ is not the easiest thing to do in the world, because like glass, once it breaks, it would forever be shattered. But at times when there is really nothing more you can do for yourself, learn how to keep the faith and trust others. After all, maybe God is just using these people to turn your life around, maybe He has it all planned out and again, you just have to close your eyes, open your heart and trust.

Princess: At some point, you have to realize that some people can stay in your heart but not in your life. Inevitably, the Princess would have to choose whether to give up the life of the love of her life so that he could die loving only her, or, give up the love in their lives, in order to let the young man live. Either way, it would not be easy, after all, what is easy in letting go? However, this is where individualism, sacrifice and letting go comes in, when instead of worrying too much and losing yourself in the midst of the moment, you decide to free your soul and break away from the pain dragging you down.

Like Frank Richard Stockton’s Lady or the Tiger, sometimes life would be unfair, there would be instances where you just have to keep the faith and trust others, and at times be strong enough to let go. Life is not always smooth sailing; you would have to go through waves of storms and tsunamis before seeing how majestic and meaningful it truly is. In the same way, life is a fairy- tale, and I get back not considering it as such, because I came to realize, it could still be, and it is, if your heart sees it as so. Furthermore, like life, the Lady or the Tiger is open ended, giving its readers the chance to give it a beautiful ending. Who knows, the Young man might not have been the right guy for the princess, or maybe, the King was just testing the princess and he truly had greater plans for her. After all, you are the writer of your own story; you may not be in favor of how it was and how it is, but, in the end, you are the only one rightful to tell yourself, “This is not how my story ends; I may not be a princess in a fairy tale, but I dream of a happily ever after, and I shall have it.”